But how and why and under what circumstances -- Hales blamed "the blur of a campaign" in an interview Thursday -- are unclear.

A campaign volunteer who lives in North Portland drafted the first version. It started this way:

"Closely watch six-decade-long St. Johns resident Tom Stubblefield, and you'll see community policing sprung to life. Stubblefied grew up here."

It then recounts a tour with Stubblefield but doesn't specify that Hales was on that tour. "Twenty minutes into a tour of his neighborhood, he spots a cop," the draft read. "'That's Sarah,' he says. Sarah knows hundreds of residents and is driving carefully, looking as if she's checking on homes of residents she literally knows."

A 2009 story in The Oregonian contained the following passage: "Twenty minutes into a driving tour of the neighborhood, he spots a
cop," The Oregonian article read. "'That's Sarah,' he says. She's
driving slowly, looking as if she's sizing up a house or a vacant lot.
Stubblefield sees the police frequently during the day."

The final version of the letter, which was published April 27, put Hales at the scene.

"I recently spent some time with St Johns resident Tom Stubblefield who gave me a tour of his neighborhood," the letter read. "Tom shared with me that he grew up in St. Johns and attended Sitton Grade School and Roosevelt High School. Twenty minutes into our tour, he spotted a cop. “That’s Sarah,” he says. Sarah knows hundreds of residents and is driving carefully, looking as if she’s checking on homes of residents she literally knows."